Maximum Ride: Her and Us
by bloodwing02
Summary: What happens when a new mutant joins the flock, even though Max is unsure about it?. And what happens when this new mutant takes a liking to Iggy? Faxness and Iggy X OC, and, if you really look at it Fang X OC.
1. Chapters 1 through 5

Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own any of the characters except for Kat. I wish I did, but I don't . Dang it.

CHAPTER ONE

The cave was wet, cold, and extremely clammy. Not the best place to crash, I know, but it would have to do for my flock and me.

If you bother to actually read this instead of just skimming it, then I guess you should know a little bit about us. I'm Max. Maximum Ride, that is. I'm fourteen (the oldest) and the leader. I can fly at speeds of, like, 200 mph. It beats air conditioning on those hot days.

There's Fang, age fourteen, four months younger than me. He's strong, silent, and…well…kind of good looking…

Iggy, age fourteen (six months younger than me) and blind, comes next. He is awesome at making bombs and he can know who anyone is by just touching them. I think it's cool.

Then comes Nudge, eleven year old chatterbox. We call it "The Nudge channel – All Nudge, All the Time." Her _special ability_ if you will is hacking into computers and feeling emotions from leftover vibrations.

Next, the Gasman (don't ask). He's eight and can mimic anyone's voice. Gazzy and his sister Angel are the cutest mutants I have ever seen (not that I have seen many).

Gazzy's little sister Angel has the biggest blue eyes ever. She may seem cute, but is very creepy at times and can be lethal if she wants to be. She can read minds, talk to fish, and breathe under water. It is so unfair that the little kids get the best powers.

Also, there's Celeste, Angel's stuffed bear, and Total, Angel's _talking_ mutant dog that can jump thirty feet in the air.

Oh yeah, there's one more thing we all have in common: we all have wings.

Now, I'll get back to the story.

­­­­"Fang, can you check what's further in this cave?" I asked, tucking a somewhat dirty sweater under a sleeping Nudge's chin. Fang nodded and started walking deeper into the darkness. He was back in all of three seconds.

"It's way small and smells bad," Fang said flatly, sitting at the fire again. Iggy looked up from roasting a curled piece of bologna on a stick over the flames.

"So is Gazzy, but we don't hold that against him," he said, smirking as only Iggy can. I sighed and carefully stepped over a snoring Total.

"So," Fang said, breaking the silence. "Who's gonna take first watch?"

Iggy and I looked at each other, and then both pointed at Fang. He sighed and looked at the fire.

Suddenly, a noise behind me made me whirl, my fight-or-flight senses kicking in. Fang stiffened and Iggy put his finger in Fang's belt loop. But it was only Angel, sitting up from the floor, wide eyed.

"Max," she whispered. I walked over to her and hugged her.

"What is it, sweetie?" I asked. Yeah, I can't read minds, so I have to ask the old fashion way.

Angel looked up at me, her face shadowing from the fire. Her blonde, curly hair, so like Gazzy's, seemed frail and limp. "Someone's here."

CHAPTER TWO

I sat up straighter, a chill running down my spine. My face turned to stone. Seeing my expression of terror, Angel said quickly, "Not Erasers. But something…"

Erasers. I guess you haven't heard about them. Well, I can describe them all in one word: vicious. They are half man, half wolf predators with wings. At the School, the place run by mad, sicko scientists where we were created, they were the guards. The punishers. The killers. We really don't like each other (can you tell?).

I turned to look at Fang and Iggy. Fang stood up slowly, whispering something to Iggy that sounded something like, "Stay here." He walked over to me and Angel.

"Okay," I said, already making a plan in my head. "Fang, wake everyone up. If this _thing_ is dangerous, we all want to fly away, and fast. Angel, can you pick up anything at all that could tell us what this thing might be?"

Angel looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said slowly, "I think it's a human. But I'm picking up images of a bat's. It's really weird. I've never read a mind like this before."

By now, Gazzy, Nudge, and Total were wide awake, so they were sitting quietly next to Iggy, staring at me with looks that read, _Max, you're the leader. What's up?_

I was peering into the darkness, wishing that I had a flashlight or something, when I saw it. The thing, that is. Not the flashlight. A big, black thing, carefully inching its way closer to our campsite.

"Who's there?" I called, thinking to myself, _Monsters aren't real. Erasers are real, but other monsters are not real._

_**Says who? **_The Voice in my head asked. I ignored it. Oh yeah, I have a voice in my head. But I guess you already knew that. Anyway, I stood taller, trying to make myself bigger. Fang stood beside me, his dark eyes glaring at the thing, which hadn't answered my question.

It kept moving closer and closer. "Who are you?" I asked meanly. "Come out to where I can see you."

So it did. But it wasn't a monster. It wasn't an Eraser. It was a human. A very thin, very frail girl. I mean, we were thin, being the mutants we are, but we weren't as thin as she was. Her skin, white as paper, looked leathery, and the hair on her head was cut into a skater fashion and was dyed purple, red, and black. It was hard to tell what color it really was.

Well, she didn't seem like much of a threat. I took an apple, put it on a paper bag, and placed it in front of her. And wow. She scarfed that fruit down like there was no tomorrow. Fang, catching my drift, put another apple in front of her. That was gone in all of five seconds. So we put various pieces of fruit by her and then we gave her the canteen. She drained it. Then, we tossed her a piece of meat.

She didn't touch it. She stared at us, then crawled closer to the fire and sat down by Iggy, who sensed her movement and slid further away. She seemed unafraid, like she didn't care about who we were. Like, we could have been ax murderers and she wouldn't have noticed. Hmm.

I sat across from her and said slowly, "So, who are you and what's your story?"

"This is my cave. Get out."

CHAPTER THREE

Whoa. I wasn't expecting _that_. "Um," I said, trying to comprehend. I glanced at my flock, and saw five very confused faces.

"I said, this is my cave," the girl said, staring at me. "I live here. Back there," she pointed at the darkness. Then, she looked kind of guilty.

"Look, I'm sorry. I mean, you fed me. I can't last on only blood and fruit," she said, looking at me. My eyes went wide. _Blood? Did she say she eats blood?_

"Okay then. Um, but what's your story? Why are you living in the back of a cave?" Angel must have read my mind again, because she asked just what I was thinking. We all nodded and stared, waiting for an answer. The girl looked skeptical.

"If I tell you my story, you have to tell me yours, or else," she said solemnly. I was curious what 'or else' was, but Fang shot me a look that read, 'Let her talk.' So I nodded again in agreement.

The girl looked around at us, letting her gaze rest on Fang. Then she began.

"I'm Kat. I'm thirteen, or so I think I am. I…well, I have wings. Bat wings. I'm part bat; you know, the blood, the fruit, and so on. I was created at this evil place by sick, twisted scientists in white coats called the School. I just escaped a month or so ago. I live here, as I said before. Now, who the heck are you?"

Oh. My. God. I could not believe what I was hearing. My jaw dropped about a foot. A girl, a winged bat girl created at the school, just like we were, was sitting right in front of us. Was this a joke? But no, she was looking as serious as ever.

Suddenly, she looked scared. "Who are you? Why are you in my cave? Why? Are you spies? Erasers?"

Fang held up his hands in a 'Whoa Nelly' style. So, she knew what Erasers are. Maybe she's not lying… "Slow down. We'll tell you who we are," he said, after looking at me. I took a deep breath, and started.

(I know what you're thinking: why trust a total stranger with our life story? Well, she seemed real to me, and, if she did come from the School, like us, then maybe she could help us. You know, with my so called destiny.)

"I'm Max. This is my flock, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel," I began before Total interrupted me with a loud, "Hmph!" I sighed. "This is Total. We have bird wings. We were created at the School too, just like you. No joke. We just came from Itex, this one big company that I'm supposed to save the world from. Oh, and I have a voice in my head."

_**Way to keep your mouth shut, Maximum. Go ahead and give away your identity to a total stranger. How do you know you can trust her?**_

_How am I supposed to trust you?_ I thought in reply. For once, the Voice didn't say anything in return. Fang was staring at me and the girl, Kat, at the same time. Wonder what he was thinking…

Well, I knew what Kat was thinking, because she said it right out loud. "Whoa. I'm not the only one who escaped. Maybe you can help me."

"Um," I wasn't ready for that yet. I mean, sure, we might be of help, but first –

"First, you need to tell us how the heck you can live beck there," Fang said, completing my train of thought. Everyone, including me, nodded and gazed. Kat squirmed in her seat.

"Okay, truth is, I don't totally _live_ here, if you're going to be practical," she said, looking into the fire.

"We are being practical," Iggy said tersely. I shot him the bird, but of course, he couldn't see it. Argh, I hate him being blind.

"Fine. I live down there," Kat pointed down out of the cave at a huge forest. I closed my raptor vision on it, and saw that, inhabiting all of the trees was hundreds, practically _thousands_ of fruit bats. Well, that explains something.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kat told us all we needed to know, and then curled into a ball by the fire and fell asleep. We all were wide awake, staring at her as if she carried a dangerous poison that would kill us all if we even touched her.

My head had started pounding, so I rubbed my temples wearily as Nudge said, "Can we keep her?" So like Nudge.

"Nudge, she isn't a pet," Fang reasoned, poking the fire with a twig. "She might be harmful."

"But she might be harm_less_," Gazzy said back. "I mean, she looked totally cool."

"I can't pick up any thoughts that are bad, you know, like 'I am going to kill the flock tonight in their sleep'," Angel added, which just made me realize the possibility of being killed in my sleep. Crap, there goes my night of R&R.

_**Maximum, don't delay yourself. If you bring her along, she could be a downfall or a great addition. It's you're decision to make.**_

"I know, I know, but it's not that easy!" I cried out loud by mistake. The flock turned to stare. Luckily, Kat still slept soundly.

"The Voice?" Fang asked understandingly. I nodded in frustration. Why couldn't I just beat my head with a stick a few times and get rid of the Voice? But then again, nothing in my life could be easy.

_**Max, I'm not here to hurt, I'm here to help. You have to understand that in order to achieve your destiny.**_

I hope that the Voice knew how totally lame that sounded. I sighed and said, "Okay, guys, get some sleep, we'll probably have _another_ tough day tomorrow. How great does that sound?"

Iggy smirked and stacked his fist on top of ours. We tapped them and lay down to sleep. I walked over to the fire and poked it, ready to poor water on it. Fang stepped over Kat silently and sat down next to me.

"So?" he asked, sounding impassive. But I knew he was concerned by the stiff set of his jaw. I looked at him and said, flat out, for the first time in all of my fourteen years of life, "I don't know."

Fang blinked, his version of astonishment, and then continued poking the fire as if nothing had happened. "You know, she might have some pretty cool abilities that we could use," he said casually.

"Yeah, but she could use those same abilities to kill us, too," I protested. "We'll have to see how this goes. I mean, we'll be leaving tomorrow. I don't know if she's coming with us or not, but I do know that I can't stop her if she wants to."

Fang nodded. "Look, you get some sleep. I'll take first watch," he said, patting my back. I grinned gratefully and lay down on the cold, hard floor of the cave. The last thing I heard before drifting off to dreamland was the girl Kat singing a song softly in her sleep.

_I'll spread my wings _

_And I'll learn how to fly_

_I'll do what it takes_

_Till I touch the sky_

_And I'll make a wish_

_Take a chance_

_And break away…_

CHAPTER FIVE

I was startled out of sleep the next morning by Nudge saying in my ear, "Max? I'm hungry." Wincing at the brighter than bright sunlight, I groaned and forced myself up. Iggy had taken watch after Fang and was already up, roasting eggs that he found somewhere over the fire. Gazzy and Fang were still snoring, and Angel and Total were trotting happily around the cave. All seemed normal, but…

"Where's Kat?" I asked, closing my eyes in pain when I stood up. Sleeping on the ground all night can do that to you. I kicked Fang and Gazzy until they awoke before getting the answer.

"Present," Kat said, stepping out of the darkness in the back of the cave. Startled out of my mind, I whirled and gaped. Now that it was daylight, I could see the true Kat. And wow!

Kat was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black shirt, black socks and tennis shoes, and a black hair tie on her wrist. Her hair was black, purple, and red, styled in a skater fashion that was short and layered. She was thin, but curvy, and looked like she was wearing red lipstick too. I also noticed that around her neck was a necklace with a black heart and a red heart in the center and two silver wings on the side. Interesting.

Fang, Total, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were staring with me. Iggy was still content on cooking. She regarded all of us calmly, and walked over to the fire. Sitting down, she poked Iggy, who jumped a mile in the air and whirled, thinking she was an Eraser. Kat laughed and took the eggs from him. He scowled. Fang walked over to her and whispered something to her. Smiling, she gave the eggs to him and turned to the exit of the cave. Suddenly, for all of us to see, she fully extended her black wings. And, God, were they awesome.

They were the wings of a flying mammal bat alright. Totally black and gleaming, they had little bumps and veins running all over them. They were maybe twelve, thirteen feet across.

Kat smiled and started running before taking off. She rose gracefully in the air and started making weird sounds.

"Ecolocation," Iggy said softly. Of course, he couldn't see Kat, but he heard her. I think Canada heard her. She screeched at the top of her lungs and was rewarded with more screeches from other bats down below. She waved to us and flew to join the bats.

"Wow," I remarked. I turned to Fang. "What did you say to her?"

Fang set the eggs on the ground and backed away as the other kids and Total dug into them like, well, Erasers. Then he looked over at me and replied, "I said, 'your friends are calling'."

I smiled. So like Fang to say the most obvious thing and have it work like a charm. Why can't I do that?

_**But you can do other things, Maximum, **_said the Voice. I groaned inwardly.

_Long time no hear, _I thought. If the Voice could sigh, I will bet anything it did just then.

_**Max, have you thought at all about Kat? **_

_Yeah, I guess. _Liar, liar, pants on fire.


	2. Chapters 6 through 10

**Disclaimer (again): I don't own any of the flock except Kat, ****yada****yada****yada****…moving on.**

**PS - Sorry about the five chapters in every 1 chapter as the computer says. I really don't know how to do anything else! Enjoy anyway!**

CHAPTER SIX

The Voice shut up after that. I was very happy, but I kinda felt a little more… lonely, I guess. It may not seem like it, but, and trust me on this people, when you have something talking to you constantly, and then that thing goes away, you feel different. Just a word to the wise.

The rest of the flock and I sat around until Kat returned. Her hair was glistening with sweat, and her eyes were shining. I still hadn't decided on what to do with her. I guess I could just leave her here, but what if she _could _help us. We do need all the help we could get. But, on the other hand, like Fang said, she could kill us in our sleep. I was torn in half by all of this.

Angel looked up at me, blue eyes round and innocent. _She should come with us, _she thought into my head.

_Why? _I asked, confused by her sudden revelation.

_Because she wants to help.__ Something inside tells me she should come, _Angel thought back, screwing up her little face in concentration. Hmm. Interesting. Okay, we'll go with that. Since I had no other plan, that would work well as Plan A.

"Okay guys, grab your packs and lets blow this – " I never got to finish my sentence, because at that moment, Nudge screamed beside me. Everyone, including Total, whirled, and saw one of the most horrible things ever.

The Erasers were back.

Okay, so maybe that isn't the worst possible thing ever. We deal with Erasers all the time. But now was the moment of truth; would Kat kick their butts or ours? I would have to wait and see.

"U and A, now!" I cried, practically pushing the younger kids out of the cave. "Move, move, move!" Fang was quickly throwing dirt onto the kindling flames, and Iggy was jamming more circular objects into his pack. Bombs? Oh great.

Kat was standing in the background, doing something. I had just enough time to glance at her before an Eraser punched me in the head so hard I saw stars. That didn't stop me though. I jackknifed to my feet and stomped on an Eraser's toe. He cried out in pain and kicked me in the shins. I screamed into his ear, bursting his eardrum instantly.

I hoped the younger kids were safely out of the way. Fang was holding his own against three of them, and Kat, to my surprise, was busy tackling two to the hard ground. Wow. Guess she was on our side.

"Max!" Iggy cried. "Move! Get out of here, guys! Now!"

CHAPTER SEVEN

Normally, when a 14 year old blind kid says to get out of somewhere, you prepare yourself for a flying baseball, miles away from your head. With Iggy, you prepare for all heck to break, and super fast. Heads up for the future.

I immediately ran towards the cave's exit, then unfurled my brown-speckled wings, grabbed an air current, and coasted upward, sailing above ten or more Eraser heads. Fang was right on my tail. Kat had let out her bat wings and was flying steadily in front of me. I silently counted to five, and then, I got what I was waiting for.

BOOM! But it was more like BA-BA-BA-BOOOM!

Iggy's prized bomb erupted, sending huge, rocky cave parts hurling towards the Erasers. The flames burned upward, practically melting any Eraser in their path. The cliff side cracked and fell down to the rocks below, bringing about half of our furry friends with them. It was like fireworks on the Forth of July, except bigger and louder. The blast knocked me backwards, hurtling me into a tall willow tree near by. A few seconds later, the rest of the Flock and Kat landed next to me.

We hung there for endless seconds, too stunned to speak. Finally, it was the Explosive Mastermind himself who started the conversation.

"That was…AWESOME!" Iggy cried, waving fists in the air. The Gasman was grinning like crazy.

"It took out probably over two hundred of 'em! I give it a 10!" he said happily, locks of curly blonde hair hanging in his face.

I was still shocked, breathing heavily, and incredibly overjoyed at the same time. "Wow. Okay, good job, guys. Way to put some of that firepower to work?" How did he manage to carry that bomb without me knowing? I wasn't even going to ask anymore.

"Bombs work awesome against Erasers!" Nudge yelled, folding her wings and dropping out of the tree. "I can't believe it worked. Well, I guess it always works, but still! How do you guys keep them? Are they like, tucked into your – ," Fang had put his hand over her mouth as we all dropped as well. Thank God.

"Um, is everyone okay?" I asked, inspecting each bird-kid carefully. And bat-kid, I guess.

"We're fine," Angel, Nudge, and Total said in unison. Total was still snuggly enclosed in Angel's pack, grinning slightly.

"Just a scratch, but I'll be fine," Gazzy felt the oozing red line on his cheek and smiled bigger. "I am such a _man!_"

"I wouldn't care if I was bleeding to death right now!" Iggy said triumphantly, blowing a piece of strawberry-blonde hair out of his large eyes. "All I care about is that the bomb worked!"

I glanced at Fang. "I'm fine," he said, watching me. Good. Now, where was Kat?

CHAPTER EIGHT

"I'm okay, thanks for asking," said Kat, right behind me. And, yes, brave, coward less Max jumped a foot in the air. I really have to get my paranoia under control here.

Iggy sniggered. I wished I could have glared at him, but, of course, he was blind. Dang it. So instead, I sighed and said, "Alright then, let's get out of here before more of those goons show up."

Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and I stacked fists, a habit we've done forever. Total stacked his paw and Kat stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Then, we all took off and flew towards the sun.

(You know, flying towards the sun may seem very calm and peaceful. Really, it is very blinding, painful, and bright. For any of you out there with wings, fly away from the sun.)

A few hours later, we were crossing the border from Indiana to Ohio. I could tell because there were little arches that read, "Welcome to OHIO". On the ground, that is. I love my raptor vision. All of us were holding steady, and Kat was going along smoothly. But she hadn't said one word. Which worried me.

"Max," Gazzy whined, swooping next to me. "I'm hungry. Can we stop to eat? Maybe down there?" he pointed towards the ground, and I stared at it for a moment until what he was pointing at came into sight. It was one of those Frisch's Big Boys. Goodie.

"Don't you want to eat somewhere more… inconspicuous?" I asked, trying to sound agreeable. Gazzy gazed at me.

"I want to eat down there too!" Nudge jumped in, Angel following with a, "Why not, Max? Please?"

I looked at her. Shoot! She had given me the Bambi eyes, wide, innocent. Now I had to do it.

"Fine," I muttered through gritted teeth. "We'll go there. Happy now?"

"Yes!" The younger set, Iggy, Kat, and Total started to decline out of the sky and towards the restaurant. Fang gave me a look the read, _You__ sap_ before starting down himself. I glared behind him and followed.

Fortunately, the Voice didn't butt in like it usually did. That was the one plus in this situation. But, no matter what, soon I found myself staring up at a giant plastic statue of the Big Boy himself. Great.

CHAPTER NINE

"Okay, try to fit in. Behave. No dumping things on waiters' heads," I whispered quickly as we all filed through the huge front doors. I was referring to the time when I had dumped a bowl of olive oil on a snooty waiter named Jason's head in New York. But, that's not the point.

"Max, when will you ever learn," Iggy shook his head as he concentrated, deeply listening to the noise around him and making a mental map of the place. "We have _wings. _We can _fly. _We will never fit in, I promise you that."

I growled in my head. After walking down a hallway with walls covered with numerous pictures of different famous people whom I didn't know, we approached a tall wooden desk. Behind it, we could see a buffet table with tons of food, bunches of booths with happy, giddy, smiling people sitting in them, and a woman with large glasses and a disapproving face.

"How many in your party, ma'am?" she asked with a low, not-very-happy voice.

I counted quickly. "Seven. And a booster seat thing," I said, sounding as professional as a 14 year old mutant can sound. The woman nodded and grabbed a stack of menus. We were led to the back of the place, right beside the kitchen doors. Which would work brilliantly if anyone against us showed up. I did a 360 swoop of the area before sliding into the booth next to Nudge. Kat sat next to me, and Total hopped into the booster seat.

"What?" he asked. "A dog's gotta chow down too."

I sighed and picked up my menu. After looking at it carefully, I selected what I wanted and waited for someone to take our orders. Fang was helping Iggy with his menu, the girls, not including Kat, who was gazing intently into space, were giggling over some of the people in the restaurant. Total was practicing his bark. Badly, might I add.

A few minutes later, a nicer looking woman with blonde hair and light skin showed up at our table, pad ready for writing down our orders. "Are we ready?" she asked sweetly. I didn't buy it, but then again I never buy anything really. All of us nodded, and I pointed to Angel, who started ordering. I hoped and prayed that we would actually get what we ordered this time, instead getting interrogated by the manager. I really, really did.

CHAPTER TEN

"Okay. Can I have two quarter-pound hamburgers, three orders of fries, a big chocolate sundae, and two glasses of milk?" Angel asked me. I nodded, because I, Miss Bank Card, would pay for it anyway. The woman was busily writing, and I guess she didn't care how much people ordered. Yes!

"I'll take the buffet!" Gazzy said, gazing at the huge tables of food. "And a big bottle of water?"

"Buffet too. Sundae, vanilla not chocolate. And four cups of Coke. Diet. Please?" Iggy said, handing the waitress his menu. Nudge nodded and started.

"The same as her," she pointed to Angel. "But with three burgers, not two, and another order of fries. Oh, and a milkshake. Do you have those? Strawberry. Okay?"

"Buffet. Two milkshakes, chocolate. Glass of water. No Ice," said Fang flatly, glancing at me and motioning for me to start.

"How about the Caesar salad, Italian dressing. Then two cheeseburgers, hold the pickles. Two glasses of milk, and an ice cream sundae. With a cherry," I handed her my menu and waited for Kat to order. She did after realizing that it was her turn.

"Three of the 16 ounce steaks, bloody rare. A glass of water with lemons. That's it."

Okay, way to be forceful, there, Kat. The woman walked away with her three pages of notes, and the ones who got the buffet went to get that. I gave Fang a look that read, _Don't let them out of your sight._ He nodded and walked off. Gazzy promised to get Total something as he followed.

Suddenly, Kat stood up. "I'll be back in a sec," she said quietly before steering towards the other end of the restaurant before I could argue. Now, all I could do was hope she came back and answer one of Nudge's endless questions.

**Kay then, that's it for now. I'm hoping to keep updating. Again, sorry about the chapters all in one update. I just can not figure it out! Ugh. Anyway, review if u can!**


	3. Chapters 11 through 15

**Disclaimer (yet again): I still don't own the characters except Kat. Still. **_**Sigh**_

**PS- Oh, and I'm also sorry about the short chapters. I figure if there are a lot of short chapters in one big chapter thing, then it will work out. Read anyway!**

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Fang had kept a careful watch over the two boys, neglecting his own empty plate, until they had happily returned to the booth where Max was waiting to take over. Now, he was browsing over the array of choices in the buffet line, all the while keeping a close eye out for Erasers. He felt that it was his job, and only his job, to kick the butt of any Eraser that dared to cross his path. He had written all about it in his blog.

Just as he was picking up a piece of spicy chicken, he felt something brush his shoulder. Whirling, plate in hand, he saw that it was Kat, racing towards the back of the place. Her face was flushed and she was practically sprinting away. Thinking quickly as only a mutant bird kid could, he set down his plate and hurried after her, thanking the lord for his ability to be so silent and dark. Eventually, she led him to a dead end hallway which led outside. Of course, she went outside. So, Fang followed, carefully shutting the door behind him.

He turned and saw the crumpled form of Kat on the ground, breathing heavily. She was shrieking to the heavens with all of her might. It sounded as if she was having a Max-Attack (brain explosions Max had occasionally). Rushing to her side, he shook her carefully. She looked up, dark eyes vacant.

"Okay, it's okay…" he whispered, helping her up to a sitting position. "What's wrong?"

"Fang… help… please!" she cried, her hands flying to her eyes. "I can't see! I can't see! Fang! Why can't I see?"

What? He cried mentally, racking his brain. Kat was still screaming/sobbing, and had crumpled into a ball, still grasping her eyes. Fang pried off the fingers and saw that her eyes looked… just like Iggy's.

At that moment, Fang understood what was going on. And, speaking of Iggy, the tall strawberry blonde suddenly swooped in at that moment, almost knocking Fang to the ground. The others hadn't showed up yet, but Fang was sure they were on their way. In fact, he was sure that every person on the block was on their way.

Iggy was holding Kat up, feeling all over her, listening to her scream. "We've got to get her out of here," he said to Fang. Fang nodded and grabbed the screaming bat-girl's other arm. Together, he and Iggy hoisted her up. Max and the others ran up and instantly leaped into the air.

"What's wrong with her?" Max asked over Kat. Fang stared at her for a moment, his face impassive, and then spoke what he knew had happened.

"She went blind."

CHAPTER TWELVE

A few hours after the incident, we were sitting around a fire in a state park somewhere near Columbus. Kat was rocking back and forth, grasping Iggy's arm and not letting go for anything, not even food though she must have been starving. Iggy kept talking to her, telling her it would be okay.

"No, no, it won't, I know it," she kept repeating, holding one of Gazzy's old shirts over her now unseeing eyes. All of us were confused beyond belief.

"I don't understand," I muttered, staring into the fire while roasting a piece of bacon in the flames. "How could this happen? You were fine this morning."

_**Anything's possible, Max. Haven't you learned that yet?**_

Oh great. Now the Voice was back. And after a whole day without it, it was back. My life can never be easy, can it?

"Maybe she has something in her eyes?" Angel suggested. Total bobbed his head in agreement. I looked over at her warily.

"I don't think so, sweetie," I replied, glancing over at Fang. He felt me looking at him and put his eyes on me.

"She had bat DNA. Aren't bats blind?" he asked, looking at Iggy and Kat.

"Not really. They just can't see well. But you have got a point," Iggy replied, looking down at Kat, dressed in black, rocking in his lap. "What did those scientists do to you?"

Kat looked around at all of us. "I – I only know one thing for sure."

"What?" Nudge asked. "Is it like a super secret that we can use to blow up Itex? Or, is it a mental treasure map that –," I glared at her and she stopped talking. Kat breathed deeply and then said quietly, "I'm not the only one."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Okay, wasn't expecting that at all. But, then again, I never expect anything. I only assume. Kat stared around at us, then got up and instantly fell back down. I guess being blind takes a while to get used to.

"What do you mean you're not the only one?" Angel asked rather loudly, startling Total out of a somewhat peaceful sleep. He groaned and rolled over.

We waited, somewhat patiently, for Kat to answer. She sighed, grasped Iggy's hand once more. Then, she started in a quiet voice.

"Well, I guess it all started that one night at the School…," Kat began.

_Flashback_

_"Okay, we all clear on the plan?" Kat asked her group, whispering from her dog-crate across the huge, white lab room._

_"Yep," the voices of Hayden, Grim, and Rose whispered in reply. The three bat kids stared through the bars of their crates at Kat, their leader of escape._

_Ten-year old Hayden, small, pale, and dark-haired with opal brown eyes ran her fingers over the bars and closed her eyes. Instantly, they broke, and shattered to the floor. __Silently, of course.__ That was because Rose, age eight, had used her power to make every noise the four kids made silent to all ears. _

_With a quick bound, Hayden had opened all of the other kids' cages. They scrambled out and started running towards the exit. Grim, tall, thin, pale, and black haired, led the way, ready to attack if necessary. Erasers could be anywhere, even though it was the dead of night._

_Kat followed the twelve year old boy closely, at the same time grasping the hands of Rose and Hayden. Their footsteps made no sound, and soon, they were above a huge stained glass window._

_"Go, break through," Kat told Grim, who nodded and extended his large, vein-filled bat wings. _

_Suddenly, the door burst open, and Erasers filed in, bloodthirsty and ready to kill. Kat instantly lunged at one and broke his ribs with one swift kick. She looked over and saw Hayden, Rose, and Grim holding __their own__. But, to her dismay, __she saw __whitecoats__ running in with __tasers__ and other evil weapons._

_"Kat!"__ Grim cried from behind her. "Go! We'll hold them off! You're our only hope! Go, get help and come back!"_

_"No!" Kat yelled back, lunging at another wolf boy. Then she felt her legs being tugged at, and she was thrown up into the air through the window._

_"Get help!" Grim screamed from below! Kat barely heard him as she flapped hard to stay aloft. With one last regretful glance, she flew towards the moon, hoping with all her soul that her family would be okay._

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"I don't know how they found us," Kat said quietly, finishing her story. The fire was almost out, so Gazzy, transfixed on what she had told us, reached and grabbed a few sticks to put on it. "We were silent. That was what Rose did. I saw her."

"So, basically, you, Grim, Rose, and Hayden were made at the School, like us, and tried to escape, but the Erasers found you and you had to leave them to get help," Iggy summarized Kat's whole story in a sentence. Kat just nodded, sadly tracing the name Grim in the dirt.

I realized something right then. Kat and I, more or less, were just about the same. We both were leaders of our families, we both were created at the School, and we both would almost die if we lost our flocks.

_**Bingo, Maximum.**_

Wait, was that all part of the plan? Was Kat some sort of big puzzle piece in the giant puzzle called my destiny? She was like me, so was that what the Voice meant?

_**Yes, Max, that's what I meant. You see, you cannot fulfill your destiny without Kat. She is the key.**_

Wow. That was the most easy-to-understand information the Voice had ever given me. But so, if Kat and I were supposed to "save the world" together, how were we supposed to do it is she was blind? Where are we supposed to start? _You hear that, Voice? Where are we supposed to go?_

But as usual, the Voice was silent. I felt someone touch my shoulder and heard Fang ask, "Voice again?" I nodded and said in reply to everyone, "It says Kat and I have to save the world together."

Gasps and mouths hitting the ground was what I was greeted with. Kat brightened a tiny bit at this, though.

"Yes!" she said, louder and more… Kat-ish. "I knew I was made for a reason! Now, you and me, we can go save my friends! Even save the world! All of us! Together!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Everything was silent. Only the tiny pitter-patter of a beetle on the dirt passed through Iggy's sensitive ears. He sat near the fire, listening intently for anything, any sound at all. It was around midnight; his watch. The rest of the Flock was asleep, or so he heard from the steady breathing behind him. He stared where the heat was coming from, working on his mental map.

_Kat._That was what was bothering him tonight. The way she had held his hand, it made him feel so… sightful. She had made him feel like he could see again. No one had ever done that to him, not even Nudge, who was one of his best friends. Kat had trusted him.

Inside his head, he was trying to imagine what Kat looked like. Trying to make a picture of her so that he could really know her better. Iggy imagined silky, raven black hair and mysterious dark eyes. He pictured pale skin and a slim, curvy figure. He used the feeling of her touch to create the perfect picture of the ravenously beautiful bat-girl he knew.

She had made him feel like he had never felt before, like he had just been visited by an angel. It was great. Better even than the touch of a bomb.

A footstep made him whirl, and his hand reached out, only to feel the soft fabric of Kat's jacket. He sighed in relief and helped guide the sightless girl over next to him. It was only right after she fell asleep did she let go of his hand. She sat next to him and sighed also.

"Oh, Iggy," she started, looking in his general direction. "I don't know how you stand it. Not being able to see the sunrise or the beautiful blue sky when you fly. I hate it."

"I know." It was all he could manage to choke out.

"Iggy?"

"Yeah, Kat?"

"Thanks. For being such a great guide, mentor, and, more than anything, friend. I really like you Iggy. You are really nice and sweet," she said, grasping his hand again. He could feel her smiling. He smiled as well.

They sat there until it was Max's watch, and then fell asleep, curled in the corner of some trees, blind, but happy.

**Okay, next chapters ****comin**** up! Hopefully Kat's relationship with ****Iggy**** will develop more. I want it to. Anyway, R&R!**


	4. Chapters 16 through 20

**Disclaimer (man, I am getting tired of writing this) – I don't own them, I never will, except Kat, and other boring stiff that I have to include so I won't get sued. Anyway, just go on and read the story. ****:P**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next morning was a wet, rainy one. And you know how flying in the wet, rainy sky is, right? Oh, wait, maybe you don't. Well, for the record, it is not, I repeat, NOT fun. At all.

"Okay, guys, where to now?" I asked, somewhat cheerfully as I raked the glowing embers of the fire. Nobody spoke, except Kat, who raised her head in my direction. She was getting good at this blind stuff.

"L.A.," she said, straight as a deadpan. I'll admit it: I gaped.

"Why?" Fang stared through the strands of hair covering his dark eyes. Kat looked deep in thought.

"I dunno, it just popped into my head," she replied. "And, you know, movie stars, Hollywood, all that junk."

I remembered when Angel told us to go to Florida that one time that was only months ago but seemed like years ago. She had said it popped into her head too, and it had led us to some pretty amazing discoveries. Hmm.

"Kay then," I said, picking up my backpack. "Grab your stuff and let's split." I went with Kat's idea, mainly because I didn't have one. It would work as Plan… F?

We all hopped up and went over to the edge of the forest area of the park we were sleeping in. The clouds were visible where we were instead of the bright sun in the trees. Total jumped into Fang's arms, and I sniggered at his expression of disgust. One of his very _rare_ expressions. Nudge took off, followed by Angel, Gazzy, and Fang.

Iggy started to take off from the ground when Kat suddenly fell to the ground, gasping, and crumpled in pain.

What was wrong this time?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I quickly told the flock in the air to wait, and then followed Iggy over to Kat. We sat down next to her and Iggy picked up her head, which was almost digging into her chest. Her face was pale, and her teeth were chattering, like she was cold except she wasn't. Her skin was becoming paler, if that was even possible.

"Get… away…from… me… NOW!" she cried through gritted, shaking teeth. Her body was trembling now, her wings folding in and out again and again.

"Never," Iggy said, a determined look on his face. Kat suddenly gave a piercing scream and stood up, where I could fully see what was happening. Her eyes flashed and turned to crimson red instead of night black. She opened her mouth and showed great, sharp fangs which used to be her canines. Her fully extended wings were blacker than I'd ever seen them before.

Kat roared and, with a flick of her pale wrist, sent me flinging backwards. I hit the ground with a groan. Iggy looked back and forth from a practically fuming Kat to a very angry me. What had just happened?

"Max!" Iggy called, his unseeing eyes staring. "What's wrong with Kat? What's going on?"

I sat up and stared at Kat. Something was glowing on her chest. It looked like a red amulet. Iggy sensed me sitting up and rushed over to Kat, understanding that I was not dead. Even though she was blind, she stared right straight at him. Her eyes were like daggers. Suddenly, Iggy was pulled closer to Kat so that her fist was soon gripping his shirt tightly.

By that time, Fang had given Total to Nudge and had flown down.

I knew it would be ugly after that, because Fang still didn't trust Kat. He knew it, and I knew it.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Iggy!" Fang cried, running over to the two. Kat flicked her wrist again, and Fang was soon bouncing up next to me. An angry gash on his cheek was bleeding heavily, but Fang seemed to not care. He and I stood, waiting to see if attacking together was the right thing to do.

Kat's face came very close to Iggy's. "Welcome to my world," she whispered. Just then, she looked up, and all of her teeth grew about an inch and became huge fangs also. She laughed before lunging at Iggy's neck, bloodthirsty and out of control. I launched myself into the air and raised my fist. I winced as I felt it connect solidly to Kat's nose. She dropped Iggy as I landed on the ground. Iggy quickly flew up into the air, shaken and stirred like a milkshake.

Fang grabbed Kat's arms and pulled her into the dense forest. She was fighting, and I was holding her distracted. Fang threw Kat on the ground, where she looked up angrily at us with red eyes and then started to quake again like she did before. The sun was glaring at us instead of the clouds.

Kat's eyes became dark, her teeth shrunk and became normal again, and her wings were bluish once more. She seemed to relax and stared up at us with sad eyes.

"Oh my God," she whispered trembling. "What have I done?"

Is she serious? Wow, something awful must have happened to screw up her memory this bad. I was still shocked out of my skull, and Fang was staring at her with his dark eyes.

"What did you do to Iggy?" I asked, looking Kat straight in the eye. She shook her head and breathed deeply.

"I don't know, Max," she said. "I don't know. I'm becoming a monster. What have I done?"

All of us were silent for a moment, and then I sat on the ground next to her. "Tell me," I said gently, "what is happening to you. Do you know or are you not telling us?"

"I know."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"I've been meaning to tell you guys this, but, I was afraid that if I did, you wouldn't like me anymore and treat me like the freak I am."

"Um, hello," I said cajolingly, spreading my wings wide. "We're mutant freaks too."

Kat smiled slightly, then her face fell again. She took a deep breath and said, "I am dying."

WHAT THE HECK?!?!

Yeah, a little outburst there… considering Kat is apparently dying, I think you would have one too. I rushed over to her side and cried, "What do you mean, you're dying? You look perfectly fine!"

Kat stifled a giggle, which made me more confuse than ever. I mean, when most people say they're dying, they collapse on the floor unconscious or something. Kat is giggling?

"No, Max," she laughed for the first time today. "I'm dying on the _inside, _not the outside."

Huh? I'd never heard of someone dying on the inside before. That's new.

"What?" Fang asked, appearing next to me from his spot behind me.

"I am what you would call, a… vampire? Yeah, I think that's right," she started, sitting up and flicking her hair out of her face.

Well, that explains a lot. "Wait, so, if you're a vampire, why don't you have the fangs and the red eyes all the time?" I asked, genuinely confused. Again. Wow, Kat was starting to be more trouble than she was worth.

"Because I'm not a _real_ vampire until I die inside. Which is what I'm doing now. Once I die inside, my body will go on living. Hello, vampires are _undead_," she explained. Fang and I raised an eyebrow at the same time. "Haven't you ever seen any scary vampire movies?"

"Um, hello yourself," I shot back. "We grew up in a lab. Cages. We didn't have the luxury of big screen TVs and movies."

"Well, neither did I."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Fang needed to get all of this straight. "So, you're a vampire, or you're going to become one, and then you aren't human anymore?" he asked, not as flatly as he'd have preferred. Max looked at him like he was crazy. Well, he never really spoke that much.

"Yes and no," Kat said, standing up and unfurling her wings. "I'll be just like a human corpse with blood running through my veins. Which I'll have to get from somewhere," she pounced at Fang, making fangs with her teeth. Fang stepped back, mainly out of concern for his neck, and she laughed. Then she took off into the air and went over to the flock. Fang had his guard up the whole time until Iggy motioned to him that it was okay. You'd think he wasn't blind.

Max walked over to him. "Okay, that was like, a fifteen out of ten on a scale of weirdness," she muttered, looking at him. Fang nodded and then a thought came into his head.

"Max," he asked. "Do you think Kat likes Iggy?"

"Like him? Like him how?" she replied curiously.

_Like I like you_.

HOLD IT! Where did that thought come from? Oh my God, did he just say he like, liked Max? Oh my God, is it true? He thought frantically. What is going on with my train of thought here? Wait, just look cool, Fang. Look cool…

"Um, I don't know. Like like?" he replied, somewhat shakily. Max looked at him suspiciously and then said, "I don't know. Why, do you?"

"I'm not sure?" Fang said, unfurling his huge wings. Max did the same, and they leaped into the air together. She flew off ahead of him to make sure the flock was still alive. Thank God.

**Kay, more ****Faxness**** coming up, I promise. ****And more with ****Iggy**** and Kat.**** Review, review, review! **


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